Improvement in windmills



f Bonner E. Mason, IOF MIIILINGTON, ILLrNoIs.

2 IMPRovEMENTlN w-INDMILLs;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,407, dated August25, 1874; application led March 14, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ROBERT E. MASON, of Millington, in the county ofKendall and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements inWindmills, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to that class of windmills which revolve in ahorizontal plane; and the object of the invention is to dispense withany kind of regulating or governing apparatus whatever, and stillpreserve a uniform speed in all kinds of winds. The great trouble andsource of expense and annoyance is the mechanism necessary in allwindmills for governing the speed, as it is important that the saidspeed shall not be too great, for fear of breaking the machinery orpumps connected with the windmill. It is also well known that suchgovernors, although costly and complicated, are not at all reliable, butare very apt, from their complication, to -get out of order, or, even intheir best condition, do not prevent an increase of speed during stormsand hurricanes, the result being that, after such occurrences, the pumpsor other machinery connected with the mill are found broken down ordamaged. In my invention all this is obviated in a very simple andinexpensive manner, the mill beingconstructed on a new principle, aswill be hereafter described, which prevents increase of speed beyond acertain point, thus preventing any shaking or undue wear of machinery,while, at the same time, the mill 'is so simplified in its constructionthat it can be built at a great deal less cost `than those provided withselfacting regulators. j i' O Figure 1 in the drawing is a sideelevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of thesame.

I construct a frame, A, of timber, said frame having cross-timbers B Bat the bottom. This can be set on the ground or on four posts at thedesired elevation. The shaft G stands on a step in cross-bar D, andpasses through a journal above. At the upper end of the shaft C isattached a crankE, which is connected, by means of a pitman, F, andsliding rod G, to the square lever H, to which is attached the pump-rodI, either directly or through a pitman, J.

In case a rotary motion is'desired to move machinery, the crank E isreplaced by a bevelwheel, which transmits motion to a horizontal shaft.

On the shaft C are attached the wings K K. They are shaped like a letterS, or a double curve 'similar to .a letter S, and are placed one abovethe other, and at right angles to each other. The number, however, isnot limited to two, but may be increased to any number desired,according to the power wanted, always placing one above the other and atright angles. The end of each wing is fastened by braces L L to theother side, to prevent the wind from changing the shapeof .the l curves.p p

The sizeof wings required to worlfanf ordi-- nary pump, or in any otherway toV do the work of one man, is seven feet from end to end of eachpair of wings, after they are bent in the shape described, and having awidth of three and a half feet. Two pairs-of wings only, of this size,will be required to perform the said work.

' The reasonforforming thewingsin pairs, an giving them the said shapeof a letter S, is as follows: When a current of wind blows in thedirection shown by the arrow, it will at rst, in striking a pair ofwings, produce no ei'ect on them; their surfaces being the same, theirequilibrium is, therefore, not disturbed. At this point, however, thecurrent is deflected toward the curve on the right side, and, a momentafterward the deflected current, having. reached the curved end, strikesagainst it, and in this, its secondary7 effect only, is the powerproduced. That moment of time intervening between the first and directimpact of the wind and its second or deected impact is taken advantageof to regulate the speed of the machine, for, by giving the wings thelength and the shape above described, the proper speed for apumping-machine is obtained; nor can it go any faster, for thereasonthat, should any considerable increase of speed take place, thedeflected current would come too late to strike against the curved endof the wing, and, therefore, communicate no power to it, and, as this isthe only available power, it follows that such an increase of speedcannot take place, but only a very small increase,

which will not be perceived inpractice. f Each wing receives the impulseof the Wind during one-quarter of the circumference; therefore, thepairs must be at right angles. The pairs of one single sheetofinetf1-1,with the ends curved in yopposite directions, so as' toresemble a letter S, and the pairs of 'Wings placed one above the other,and at right angles to eachv other, substantially as and for thepurposerdescribed.

Y ROBERT E. MASON.

Witnesses:

EDWARD RosE, v F. RAWLING.

